They returned to their work.
Thanks to the massive artificially-boosted online votes in their favor, Arianaâs team managed to make up for their low scores in other voting sessions and they could move on to the next round.
On the glittering stage, the six members of the teams cheered jubilantly, waving to the audience in the studio.
Meanwhile, in Mistlyn, with furrowed brows, Sadie watched Arianaâs team celebrating on TV.
Her hand holding the remote shook as she was overcome with a burning rage.
After a moment, she could no longer contain her fury and grabbed the remote control which she threw violently at the screen.
The screen shattered and shards of glass flew through the air.
How could Arianaâs team have won out? How was that possible? Sadie fumed, and her face was red with anger.
She couldnât understand why on earth Ariana was always so unfairly lucky.
She had survived the car crash, and then the fire.
Why couldnât that bitch, Ariana die and stop tormenting her? Why was that worthless wretch always favored by fate?
With her red eyes burning with anger, Sadie glared at the image of a smiling Ariana on the broken screen.
She was so angry her chest heaved uncontrollably.
On the other side, once the show went off the air, Ariana and her euphoric team rushed backstage to pack up before heading out to celebrate their hard-earned victory.
Just as Ariana was about to exit the building, she realized that she had forgotten her bag somewhere in the studio.
She told Sarah and the others to go forward while she rushed back to grab her bag.
Just when she stepped out of the elevator into the empty backstage area, Ariana saw a tall man in a corner.
The man was speaking on his phone, and there was a hint of urgency in his tone.
She wouldnât have paid attention to the man if she didnât suddenly hear him exclaim, âMiss Pierre, please listen to me!â
Ariana froze and stopped in her tracks at once.
Her interest was piqued and she listened intently as the man continued, âI know youâre upset, but getting mad at me wonât solve anything.
You saw it yourself, their audience vote count was by far the lowest.
I did exactly what you said and I bribed everyone in the studio audience to vote against Arianaâs team.
But the online votes were totally different.
How could I control the entire Internet? The results are already published.
Thereâs nothing I can do to change them now.
â
Hearing the manâs words, it suddenly dawned on Ariana that Sadie must have been sabotaging her team this whole time behind the scenes.
She should have known that Sadie would never pass up an opportunity to harm her.
As the tall man continued to converse with Sadie on the phone, it was evident that a heated argument was taking place.
The tall manâs patience wore thin as he curtly declared, âIâve carried out your request.
Now, itâs your turn to settle the outstanding payment.
â
Sadieâs response wasnât clear, but the tall man unleashed a torrent of curses.
âWhereâs your integrity? Money shouldnât be a concern for you! Youâre angry? Is that a valid explanation to delay payment? Who couldâve anticipated that the online voting would turn things around!â
After a few more heated exchanges, they ended the call.
The man grumbled to himself as he stowed away his phone.
However, when he turned around, Arianaâs sudden presence startled him.
Ariana maintained her composure and even smiled faintly.
Meanwhile, Sarah and the others patiently awaited Ariana in the car.
The six contestants behaved so well.
They sat in silence without fiddling with their phones.
Woodrow even had a small notebook in hand, jotting down his thoughts about the competition.
In a short span, he had penned several hundred words.
After some time, Ariana finally appeared, accompanied by the tall man.
All eyes turned in their direction, watching Ariana and the man engage in friendly conversation.
Tom couldnât help but assume, âSeems like Ariana has gotten yet another admirer.
â
Jim glanced toward them, shook his head, and shared his reservations about this specific admirer.